Monday, February 29, 2016

Janie is a single mum struggling with her four year old son Noah. Noah won't wash, is anti social and keeps asking for to go home, and to see his real mom. Janie doesn't know how to help him and after reaching out for assistance, she wonders if she will ever be able to help Noah settle.

I really enjoyed heading off to bed at night and picking up this book as I wanted to see where it went and how Noah would get his answers. A unique and interesting read. 5/5

Sunday, February 28, 2016

I have a bit of a thing about reading books about Mediums. I must admit to being a bit of a skeptic, but I am interested in reading what they have to tell us, and I certainly hope my folks are there to greet me when it is my time (and they can bring all the old pussy cats with them).

Similar to most of the other books I have read, Laura Lynne Jackson discovers her abilities at a young age, but it is not till she is an adult does she understand that she has the ability to hear and sense spirits that have passed on. She uses these messages to help people heal and to let them know that their loved ones are always with them. 4/5

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Helena Wisniewska Brow brings us a book about her father and his siblings. Born in Poland, the family including their mother were taken to Siberia as forced labor during the second world war. Enduring terrible hardships, the family then went to refugee camps in Iran where their mother died. The young children then were among a group of hundreds of exiled children brought out to New Zealand to live.

Helena talks not only about her father, but growing up with two Polish parents in small town Whakatane, and the journeys she makes as an adult back to Poland with her father looking for traces of his past. 4/5

Friday, February 26, 2016

Paul Kalanithi is finally reaching the end of ten years study to become a Neurosurgeon, when he realizes that the symptoms he has been experiencing all indicate some type of cancer. Diagnosed with lung cancer, he then has to consider what his options are, does he stay working? Should he and his wife have a baby, especially as the prognosis is not good. It does make you catch your breathe - to think how you would feel if it was you.

So at only 36 years, he faces dying and leaving his young family behind, his beautiful young daughter and loving wife. It was hard not to cry.

I did have tears at the end of this book - maybe not the best book to have chosen to read as my own father was dealing with end stage cancer, but it was strangely beautiful and for me gave me reassurance that we were not alone in dealing with this. 5/5

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Going Off Script is Giuliana Rancics memoir, covering growing up in Italy and moving to the US as a youngster. With dreams of being a broadcaster she wasn't the best student but she made her dreams happen. Having to undergo scoliosis back surgery, she focused and decided to make things happen and moved to LA after college graduation with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket.

Working on E news, a reality show and Fashion Police, finding her dream man after a few duds things appeared to be on track for her. Then when trying to undergo help to have a baby, Giuliana had a mammogram which discovered breast cancer. Undergoing breast cancer treatment is daunting enough, when they learn that their surrogate mother is due to have their much wanted baby boy Edward Duke.

I liked this book - it got the balance right, with a 1/3 of the book about growing up, which always seems to be awkward for everybody in the world. Then a the middle part is about her career, which was amusing without being filled with boring stories about meetings and shows. There was enough name dropping and amusing stories to keep it interesting. Then going into the current part about juggling motherhood and career was still readable.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Detective Rizzoli and Medical Examiner Isles are back again to solve another murder, and this one with all its twists and turns is a pretty standard usual fare. Still it was just the distraction I needed this week and I liked the African back story, I wasn't sure where it was going until about half way through the story.

I am a bit over the formulaic murder/thriller. Gruesome death, hunt the killer, get trapped by the killer, killer dies in the last twenty pages. I am always on the look for something different, but maybe I won't like it when I find it. 3/5

Thursday, February 04, 2016

I have decided that Clare Balding is a bit of a clever writer. She kept me entertained by writing a book that is essentially describing her radio show about walking. Every week she meets and walks with a different walking group in the UK, each walking for differing reasons. Some for companionship, weigh loss, mental health, some read books while walking, some walk without shoes and others sing.

Imbetween we get to hear stories about the people she works with, her partner, her pets and most entertaining is her family - her parents and brother who we met in her earlier memoir. It has made me pull out my walking shoes and get ready for a ramble of my own. 4/5

Monday, February 01, 2016

Lyrics by Bob Dylan and sung by Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons, this is just the most beautiful song. I found it reading A Cup Of Jo, they did a post about wedding songs that was the sweetest thing full of comments from people about the songs they danced to with their husbands/wife/fathers. A nice way to end a quiet Friday night,and I have replayed this song over and over since.